Colossians 1–2

1^*aPaul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus ^aaour brother, ²To the saints and faithful brethren ^bin Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^3cWe give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, ⁵For ^dthe hope which is ^elaid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in ^fthe word of the truth of the gospel; ⁶Which is come unto you, ^gas it is in all the world; and ^hbringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew ⁱthe grace of God in truth: ⁷As ye also learned of ^kEpaphras our dear ^lfellowservant, who is for you ^la ^mfaithful minister of Christ; ⁸Who also declared unto us your ⁿlove ^oin the Spirit.

⁹For this cause we also, ^csince the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire ^pthat ye might be filled with ^qthe knowledge of his will ^rin all wisdom and spiritual ^sunderstanding; ^10tThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord ^uunto all pleasing, ^hvbeing fruitful in ^wevery good work, and ^xincreasing in the knowledge of God; ^11yStrengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and ^zlongsuffering ^awith joyfulness; ^12bGiving thanks unto the Father, which hath ^cmade us meet to be ^dpartakers of ^dthe inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³Who hath ^edelivered us from ^fthe power of ^gdarkness, and hath translated us ^hinto the kingdom of ^†his ⁱdear Son: ^14jIn whom we have redemption ^kthrough his blood, even ^lthe forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵Who is ^mthe image of ⁿthe invisible God, ^othe ^pfirstborn of every creature: ¹⁶For ^qby him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be ^qqthrones, or ^rdominions, or ^stprincipalities, or ^rspowers: ^qall things were created ^uvby him, and ^ufor him: ¹⁷And ^owhe is before all things, and ^qby him ^xall things ^xxconsist. ¹⁸And ^yhe is the head of the body, the church: ^owho is ^zthe beginning, ^zathe firstborn from the dead; that ^||in ^ball things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹For ^cit pleased the Father that ^din him should all ^efulness dwell; ²⁰And, ^||fhaving made peace ^gthrough the blood of his cross, ^hby him to reconcile ^ball things unto himself; by him, I say, ⁱwhether they be things in earth, or ^jthings in heaven.

^21kAnd you, that were ^ksometime ^lalienated and ^menemies ^||in your mind ⁿby wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled ^22oIn the body of his flesh through death, ^pto present you holy and unblameable and ^qunreproveable in his sight: ^23rIf ye continue in the faith ^sgrounded and ^tsettled, and be not moved away from ^uthe hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and ^wwhich was preached ^xto every creature which is under heaven; ^ywhereof I Paul am made a minister; ^24zWho now rejoice in my sufferings ^afor you, and fill up ^bthat which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh ^cfor ^dhis body’s sake, which is the church: ^25yWhereof I am made a minister, according to ^ethe dispensation of God which is given to me for you, ^||to fulfil the word of God; ²⁶Even ^fthe mystery which hath been hid from ages and from ^ggenerations, ^fhbut now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷ⁱTo whom God would make known what is ^kthe riches of the glory of this ^fmystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ ^||in you, ^lthe hope of glory: ²⁸Whom we preach, ^mwarning every man, and ^mteaching every man ^mmin all wisdom; ⁿthat we may present every man ^operfect in Christ Jesus: ²⁹Whereunto ^pI also labour, ^qstriving ^raccording to his working, which ^sworketh in me mightily.

2For ^aI would that ye knew what great ^||bconflict I have for you, and for them at ^cLaodicea, and for ^das many as have not seen my face in the flesh; ²That ^etheir hearts might be comforted, ^fbeing knit together in love, and unto ^gall riches of ^hthe full assurance of understanding, to ⁱthe acknowledgement of ⁱⁱthe mystery of ^jGod, and of the Father, and of Christ; ^3||In whom are hid all the treasures of ^kwisdom and ^lknowledge. ⁴And this I say, ^mlest any man should ⁿbeguile you ^owith enticing words. ⁵For ^pthough I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your ^qorder, and the ^rstedfastness of your faith in Christ. ^6sAs ye have therefore ^streceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^swalk ye in him: ^7uRooted and ^wbuilt up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein ^xwith thanksgiving.

^8yBeware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after ^zthe tradition of men, after the ^||rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. ⁹For in him ^adwelleth all the ^bfulness of the Godhead ^cbodily. ¹⁰And ^dye are complete in him, ^ewhich is the head of all ^fprincipality and ^fpower: ¹¹In whom also ye are circumcised with ^gthe circumcision made without hands, ^hin putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: ¹²ⁱBuried with him in baptism, wherein also ^jye are risen with him through ^kthe faith of ^lthe operation of God, ^mwho hath raised him from the dead. ¹³ⁿAnd you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; ^14opBlotting out the handwriting of ^qordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and ^rtook it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; ¹⁵And ^shaving spoiled ^fprincipalities and ^fpowers, ^she made a shew of them openly, ^ttriumphing over them ^||uin it.

¹⁶Let no man therefore ^wjudge you ^||xin meat, or in drink, or ^||in respect of ^yan holyday, or of ^zthe new moon, or of ^athe sabbath days: ¹⁷Which are ^ba shadow of things to come; but ^cthe body is of Christ. ^18dLet no man ^||beguile you of your reward ^†in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, ^eintruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly ^fpuffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹And not ^gholding ^hthe Head, ^hfrom which all the body by joints and ⁱbands ⁱⁱhaving nourishment ministered, and ^hknit together, ^jincreaseth with ^jjthe increase of God. ²⁰Wherefore ^kif ye be dead with Christ from the ^||rudiments of the world, ^lwhy, as though living in the world, are ye ^msubject to ordinances, ²¹ⁿ(Touch not; ^otaste not; handle not; ^22pWhich all are ^qto perish with the using;) after ^rthe commandments and ^rdoctrines of men? ^23sWhich things have indeed a shew of wisdom in ^twill worship, and ^thumility, and ^||neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.